


The Chair by the Bed

by derekstilinski



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Caretaking, First Kiss, Flirting, Fluff, Holding Hands, Hurt/Comfort, Injury Recovery, M/M, Major Character Injury, Multi, Romantic Friendship, Sharing Clothes, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-10
Updated: 2016-01-11
Packaged: 2018-05-13 02:08:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5690512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/derekstilinski/pseuds/derekstilinski
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Poe constantly visits Finn in the medbay, waiting for him to wake up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Not Alone

**Author's Note:**

> First Stormpilot fic! And this one will have chapters. So exciting :3

BB-8 rolls into the medbay, clunking softly on a small step. The room is quiet and BB-8 weaves through the few people in its way. The droid finds the bed easily, the one with the chair permanently pulled close. BB-8 bumps into its master's leg, whirring in hello. Poe opens his eyes from where he's been half asleep for the past hour, hands clasped around one of Finn's. He looks down at his little friend, smiling tiredly, "Hey, buddy. What's going on?"

BB-8 moves itself to the side, opening a compartment. It turns its head and looks at Poe, beeping insistently at him. Poe keeps one hand on Finn and sighs, reaching into the compartment, "Alright, alright..."

Poe pulls out a custom food pack; sandwich, vitamin chew strip and somewhat burnt cookie. BB-8 beeps and collides with Poe's leg again. Poe smiles gratefully and opens the sandwich, "Did you try and help put this together?"

BB-8 tones in confirmation, sounding proud. Poe chuckles softly, "You didn't have to. I'm okay."

BB-8 shakes disapprovingly, whirring. Poe sighs. BB-8 looks up at him, beeping softer, nodding at the food. Poe picks up half of his sandwich and takes a bite, chewing slowly. BB-8 takes out its lighter and flicks it up. Poe smiles, nodding, "Thanks."

He knows he spends a lot of time here, with Finn. He'll go on runs in his X-Wing, and he'll come right back here to Finn. If he has to go to a planet, he'll do it quickly and efficiently, and he'll make his way back to medbay before even taking off his helmet. The nurses often chastise him for trailing in dirt or melting snow or sand. He'll go to his rooms and shower, shave, sleep--okay, maybe not sleep. Not all the time. General Organa has tried to confine him to his rooms, but he found a way to slip out. He fell asleep in his chair next to Finn when he meant to sneak back into his rooms before he was missed. He woke up with a colorfully woven blanket laid over him.

BB-8 chirps to him questioningly and Poe shrugs, "No, I won't sleep yet. Just... I'll stay with him a while longer."

Rolling around Finn's bed, BB-8 bleeps, then coos at Finn's vital signs. Poe nods, finishing the first half of his sandwich, "I know he's stable," he rubs his thumb back and forth across Finn's hand, "I just don't want to leave him alone."

BB-8 turns to look at him and beeps gently, then rolls back and forth softly, sweetly. Poe smiles fondly, "You'll stay with him? You sure?"

BB-8 whirs at him, coming around to the chair and pushing at Poe's leg. Poe chuckles and closes up his food, setting it aside. He looks to Finn and brings their hands up, kissing his knuckles before letting go. He gets up and moves aside as BB-8 projects up a hook and angles itself until it lowers into Poe's chair. Poe makes a face at him, so amused with his small friend. BB-8 looks at Finn intently, then to Poe.

It coos shortly and inclines its head, and Poe laughs. He steps forward and takes the blanket from the back of the chair, placing it around BB-8. BB-8 flicks up its lighter to him, then closes up and watches Finn. Poe takes his food and presses a kiss to the top of BB-8's head before leaving medbay to get some rest.


	2. The Pillows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn wakes up.

It's been about three days since BB-8 offered to watch Finn while Poe slept. Poe feels more secure - and sleeps so much better - knowing someone is there watching after Finn when he can't be. BB-8 is attentive and takes the job seriously. It doesn't mind looking after Finn. Finn is friend; kind. Master Poe cares for Finn, so so does BB-8. It knows if it were in Finn's place, it would not be left alone either. It watches Poe check on Finn every day, talk to him and show him affection; soft words, kisses to his hands, smoothing his hair repeatedly. BB-8 thinks it must be very important.

Poe sleeps now, back in his rooms. BB-8 has gotten comfortable in Poe's chair again, blanket and all, to stay with Finn for a while tonight. The night nurse has gotten used to its presence, and the soft computerized cooing it will make at Finn every once in a while. Most of the lights are off, and Finn still heals slowly, stationary there on the bed. His vital signs have increased minimally over the past three days, which they are all counting as a win. Small increments are better than nothing at all. BB-8 watches the rise and fall of Finn's chest as he breathes, very happy when the cycle just keeps happening. Up, down. Up, down. Up, down. Up... and up. Finn's chest stutters as he takes a deeper breath. BB-8 leans closer to see, and Finn's brow scrunches up. His vital signs begin to heighten into the green, not the odd yellow of 'stable'.

BB-8's head whips up to the nurse, seeing her getting up to come and check. This is it. A change. Like Poe said, alert him to any. BB-8 whirs alarmingly like a gasp and flies out of the chair, blanket crumpling to the floor.

\--

Only one dim, deep orange light in the corner brightens Poe's bedroom. Poe sleeps peacefully at the edge of his bed, spread out on his stomach with a pillow propped under his head.

White light pierces the room when BB-8 skids into his rooms, shouting in Binary about Finn. Poe lurches from his sleep, body convulsing from the start so much that he almost slips to the floor. He looks at BB-8 with bleary eyes, trying to make out the loud blares, "What? What happened?"

BB-8 blurbs in rushed sequences, bringing Poe up to speed as quickly as it can before bleeping loudly, with urgency. Poe scrambles to his feet, grabbing his robe and pulling it on. He narrowly misses a chair on the way out, BB-8 leading him quickly back to medbay. His feet slip slightly on the floor while jogging in his socks, so when they stumble through the medbay doors, it's very much an actual stumble. Poe sees two nurses hovering around Finn's bed, checking him over, talking softly. He hears Finn's voice.

"...What's goin' on?" It's tired and slurred, cracking slightly. His hand is shaking at his side.

BB-8 pushes at Poe's legs when he appears too stuck. Poe moves to the bedside and takes Finn's hand, seeing Finn's half open eyes turn to look at him, "We gotta stop meeting like this."

"Poe?" Finn's fingers twitch, trying to sit up and see him properly. The nurses disagree and guide him back down.

Poe leans down, bracing a hand above Finn's head on the table, "The one and only, pal. Now, just take it easy."

Finn nods, then his body tenses, "Rey?"

"All fine, don't worry," Poe tells him softly, "She's not here right now; mission for the General. She's good, Finn."

Finn lays his head back, smiling in relief, "Everyone's okay? BB-8?"

BB-8 chirps happily next to Poe, beeping lightly. Poe smiles, "Good, too. BB-8 watched over you a lot recently. 'Looked at you while you charged'," Finn chuckles weakly, and it looks like it hurts. Poe squeezes his hand, "How're you feeling, huh?"

Finn shakes his head, nose wrinkling, "Like every bone is locked in place... Back aches."

Poe looks to the nurse, and she gives him a hypo for the pain. Finn hisses softly and Poe tries for a smile, "Well, you've been on this hard table too long. Think you can sit up?"

Finn moves his legs and the other nurse helps get them around the edge of the bed. Finn reaches and Poe's already there, holding him steady to assist pulling him up. Finn looks dizzy, and they grasp each other's arms as the first nurse lifts the back of Finn's shirt. Poe doesn't know what she sees, but the wound must be healing well because she doesn't wrench him from Poe's arms.

"I remember," Finn looks at him, looking exhausted but alert, "The lightsaber."

Poe nods, "Yeah. Yeah, but you're all patched up now. Safe. Right, nurse?"

The first nurse completes her check with the ding of a scanner, "You're fully intact, Mr. Finn. And you're returning to healthy. You've been unconscious eight days, given medicine, worked on by our machines and top doctors."

"Was it bad? Was I dying?" Finn asks, voice shaking and throat tight.

Poe cuts in, feeling how emotional Finn is becoming, "Don't worry about it," he finds Finn's eyes and smiles softly, "Don't worry your pretty head about a thing," Finn's pulse rises a few points on the monitor. Poe grins, "Do you want to stand? I'm right here with ya'."

Finn takes a moment to collect himself, but nods. He's still hazy from the drugs, shaky from the trauma. The other nurse stands by as Finn inches his way off the bed and onto his feet. He wobbles, knees not ready, but the nurse holds his waist until Poe takes over. Finn gets his bearings, straining a bit, "I'm okay, really."

"Yeah, I know," Poe answers softly, "You look wiped."

"I don't want to move anymore." Finn agrees, sighing.

The nurses want to see him walk, Poe can see them trying to pick the right moment to ask. He looks to Finn, "Well, I've got a place not far from here. Bed's a lot comfier than that slab. Wanna go sleep for a few light years?"

Finn looks surprised at the offer, "Really?"

"Yeah, really," Poe takes a step, and Finn takes it with him. Thank the stars. Poe reaches out behind Finn's back for a comm piece as they start moving forward, "You'll love it. Got some pillows with your name on 'em, just waiting for you to sleep on."

The first nurse hands him a comm tablet and the second drapes a blanket around Finn, "We'll let you this time, Dameron. He comes back in the morning. You let him sleep."

Poe waves a hand at them, other still clutching Finn's as they slowly make their way down the hall. He kind of brackets Finn within his arms as they go, careful not to touch his back. BB-8 trails behind them, watching intently. When they arrive at Poe's rooms, he directs Finn to the bedroom, "You can see the rest later. Just rest now, okay? Top priority."

He helps Finn into his bed, maneuvering him onto his side. Finn hums, eyes closed as he shoves his head into a pillow, "Both are mine?"

Poe covers him with another blanket, "You can have as many pillows as you want."

"Wow," Finn mumbles as Poe settles in beside him, "First Order never let me do that."

Poe chuckles and kisses his forehead, "You're fine."

"Yes," Sleep is starting to set in, and Finn relaxes, "Yes, I am. And so are you," A pause, where Finn half falls asleep, "...That was flirting."

Poe holds back a laugh, "I feel flirted with."

Finn nods, his face serious, before it softens as he drifts off. Poe leans in and kisses his cheek before rolling over on his stomach to settle back into sleep himself. He adjusts the pillow and smiles. The room feels more complete with Finn here, even if it's only temporary. He gives a thumbs up to BB-8, letting it know everything is good.

BB-8 coos happily, relieved. It flicks up its lighter to match him, then rolls over to its 'bed'. Poe set up the area, a charging station with pillows and little notes on the wall. Poe shuts his eyes and lets sleep take him, everything just a little more right in his world.


	3. Best Suited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe shares his clothes with Finn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, the final chapter. I hope you all enjoy this! I have to figure out what I'll write next!

Finn's fingers are curled around the edge of the medbay table as he's examined again. He keeps himself still even if he wants to move, and takes in his surroundings. The brightness of medbay; it’s white walls and floors, and the wide windows that show the darkness of space, dotted with far away stars. The air is just slightly chilling to his bare torso. To his right, one nurse is assessing the wound on his shoulder. Evidently, he needed some muscle fill from one of the many machines they have, since Kylo Ren's lightsaber attachment serrated a good amount of his. Moving his arm feels stiff, but the nurses have assured him it's just because the muscle fill was weaved in tightly. It'll give with time to where it needs to be.

In front of him, Poe stands with his arms crossed, one hand lifted up and rubbing idly at his chin. He's watching Finn closely, the nurses’ hands on him, how he's taking it all in. Poe meets his eyes and his face lifts into a light grin, winking. Finn drops his head, smiling softly. He doesn't know when Poe became his carer, but he doesn't think he minds. He feels a little fluttery in his stomach around Poe, and he thinks sometimes Poe can tell. He thinks it again when his shoulder wound is coated in stasis spray, a large hiss from the canister that makes him wince, and Poe immediately reaches out to hold his hand. He feels his stomach do that flip and he clasps his hand around Poe's, "I'm alright."

"I know." Poe replies, smiling softly.

The stasis spray dries on his shoulder, and at his back he can feel another nurse's fingers running along the length of his other wound. His spine was mostly undamaged from the blow, except one vertebrae near his lower back. They locked him to the table he's sitting on now and was worked on heavily. The vertebrae was replaced, cushioned and aligned. He's pretty sure he's lucky to be walking. They take the spray down his back, a cold, oily mist over his skin. He arches just a bit at the sensation, face scrunched up uncomfortably. Poe chuckles softly and touches his cheek, and Finn looks up at him, just because. Poe turns a little red and drops his hand. The spray dries and the nurse pats his left shoulder, "You're done. You need to eat, so go down to the canteen and get something. Push the fluids, or you'll need another IV."

"Thank you." He says, picking up his shirt laying on the table next to him. He carefully slips it back over his head, pulling it down.

Poe holds his arm as he gets down off the table, "You'll need to change, too. Those clothes are old."

Finn pulls his blanket around himself again, holding it with one hand, "These are the only clothes I have."

"Well, you'll just have to borrow some of mine, then." Poe says as they leave the medbay, walking down the hall.

Finn shakes his head, "I couldn't do that... Look what happened last time you let me have something. Your jacket is ruined."

"But now you're down one jacket. No other clothes," Poe shrugs, "You're due for more. We'll find something that you make look as good as you made that jacket look." Finn looks over, a bit astonished, and sees Poe grinning.

Back in Poe's rooms, Finn settles on the edge of the bed. The room is lighted now, soft brown walls and hard off-white floor. The walls have things covering them; maps, posters, lists, blueprints, photos. Finn sees what he thinks are Poe's parents in a photo pinned by the bed. BB-8 has a bed area out near Poe's desk. It's a round charging dock nestled in pillows, and has plenty of lists pinned to the wall around it. Some are just random, some are notes, but there's an evaluation paper there, giving a top condition rating. BB-8 must be proud of it.

Poe opens his dresser drawer and hums, "Okay. Let's see what we have, huh?" He rustles the clothing in the drawer, looking at them. He wants to give Finn something comfortable, something he'll feel good in. He grabs out a long sleeved shirt, gray and soft to the touch, "How about this?"

Finn takes it when Poe holds it out to him, feeling over the fabric, "Poe, I'm not sure about this."

"You don't like it. Okay, let's see some other stuff." Poe nods, ready to dig in and find something that Finn will definitely like.

Finn quickly shakes his head, "No, it's not that... What if I ruin this, too?"

Poe sighs, hands stopping. He comes to the bed, kneeling down, hand on Finn's knee, "Listen, alright? If you ruin this shirt, you'll most likely be the clumsiest person in the galaxy."

Finn chuckles and rolls his eyes, "Come on."

"Hey, you asked for it," Poe squeezes his knee and meets his eyes, going for a little more serious, "You're just fine. You won't ruin it... Put it on, okay?"

Finn looks at the shirt again, and nods. Poe stands up, going back over to the drawer and closing it, opening another. He takes out a pair of dark sleep pants, because Finn officially is supposed to be resting up. He turns back to see Finn pulling himself from his old shirt, grimacing at his stiff arm. Poe frowns, "It'll get better."

Finn glances at him, fiddling with the new shirt, "Doesn't stop it from being terrible now."

"You need help?" He asks, gently. Finn's shoulders bunch for a moment, and Poe understands. Finn used to be a stormtrooper; you don't really get offered help. But Finn licks his lips, before nodding softly.

"Maybe just a little?"

Poe lays the pants aside and holds out his hands, helping Finn stand. He takes the shirt from Finn's hands and gets his head into it, then carefully aligns the right arm hole. Finn strains a bit with maneuvering his hand and Poe pulls more on the fabric, catching his hand and sliding the sleeve on. Finn sighs, relaxing that side. Poe fits his other arm through the hole and steps closer, pulling the fabric down over his chest, his stomach. He adjusts the rounded collar, "Looks good on you."

Finn looks over Poe's face, soft eyes and easy smile. He takes a breath and feels that flutter again, "Thanks. Feels good."

Poe smiles, nodding, "Think you can get the pants on, or you need help with that, too?"

Finn's face heats up, "I-I've got that part."

Poe steps back and grins, "I'll be out here, then. Just throw your clothes down the chute and meet me outside."

Poe leaves him, door closing with a soft woosh, and he sits back down. This guy is going to kill him. He takes a deep breath and strips off his pants and underwear, then slides on the sweatpants. He gathers everything and gently lets it roll down the laundry chute. He slides on the slippers given to him by medbay and thinks for a moment. He rubs his hands together nervously, before deciding. Poe keeps giving him affection, he might as well ask about it.

"Poe?" He calls, shifting awkwardly in the middle of the bedroom.

Poe comes back in quickly, "You okay?"

He nods, swallowing thickly, "I just wanted to ask you something."

Poe looks a little more at ease, and walks into the room, "Anything."

"Earlier, in the medbay," Finn starts, glancing down at his hands nervously, how the sleeves cover all the way to his knuckles, "You touched my face."

Poe's face turns red. He shrugs and looks down at his feet, stammering softly for a reply, "Uh, yeah. Yeah, I'm sorry. It just--It happened. I thought... I don't know. You would like it. Listen, if you want me to step off, I will."

"I did like it," Finn says, nice and bold and it surprises him. Poe too, if his whole face brightening says anything about it, "You kept kissing me, too. Last night."

Poe smiles now; a little giddy, a little nervous, "Yes, I believe I did."

Finn suppresses a grin. His hands twitch as he brings them up, unsure as he cups Poe's cheeks. Poe's face is still blushing, and he meets Finn's eyes playfully. Finn has never tried this before, but he steps forward and brings Poe closer, pressing their lips together in a kiss. He can feel Poe smile, can feel his hands finding his waist. Poe tilts his head slightly and savors the moment, fireworks going off in his chest. Finn rubs at the stubble on Poe's cheeks, and Poe makes a funny, happy noise. It makes him pull back and laugh. Poe is looking at him with a lopsided smile, rubbing up and down his side with one hand.

Finn lets go of him, but finds his hand. He tries to act cool, "You um, you've got orders to bring me to the canteen."

Poe beams at feeling Finn's fingers intertwining with his own, "You're very right. Come on, then."

Poe leads him from the room, feeling on top of the world. Finn and him have something here, Rey will be back soon, and Finn will be firing on all cylinders again. Hopefully when they inform Finn that he does in fact have his own rooms set up, Poe can bribe him with pillows to stay next to him at night.

At the rate of seven pillows, Finn stays. Poe becomes his official eighth.


End file.
